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Consuel inspection - Questions

martin

By martin
in House Renovations

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martin Newbie

martin

Posted
Posted

As the the renovation I am working on currently will require an inspection from the Consuel I have a few queries. Can anyone who has had an inspection answer any of the following please?

1. Does the GTL have to be 600mm wide? None of the brico sheds sell anything anywhere near that wide!

2. Will Mr Consuel be happy with a range of sockets like Legrand neptune or would it best to choose one of the interchangeable ranges?

3. For the lighting, would it be best to do all my joints in the switch backboxes or to do them in a separate box with blankplate?

4. As the first floor is not being converted til a later date, would it be ok to just fit a small consumer unit up there for ease of wiring when the time comes??

Thanks for any help.

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tonyv Newbie

tonyv

Posted
Posted
[quote user="martin"]

As the the renovation I am working on currently will require an inspection from the Consuel I have a few queries. Can anyone who has had an inspection answer any of the following please?

[/quote]

Well, I've not had a consuel inspection, so that would disqualify me from commenting, but I am an electrical engineer, so I'll comment anyway [:P]

[quote user="martin"]

1. Does the GTL have to be 600mm wide? None of the brico sheds sell anything anywhere near that wide!

[/quote]

First of all, there is only a requirement for a GTL on new build, not renovation, although it would be advisable even in that case.

Secondly, a GTL is simply a distribution cabinet, which you can build out of anything you choose. I made mine out of 20mm plywood. If you're going to do it, the cabinet does need to be at least 600mm wide, 200 mm deep, and reach from floor to ceiling.

You can, if you choose, make up the back of the cabinet, at vast expense, from two or three pre-fabricated goulottes side by side. It does make the cabling easier and neater, but the fact that most bricos don't stock them is an indication of their popularity.

[quote user="martin"]

2. Will Mr Consuel be happy with a range of sockets like Legrand neptune or would it best to choose one of the interchangeable ranges?

[/quote]

Consuel will be happy with any sockets marked NF C 15-100; the current standard in France. It is inconceivable that any reputable wholesaler/brico will suppy anything else.

[quote user="martin"]

3. For the lighting, would it be best to do all my joints in the switch backboxes or to do them in a separate box with blankplate?

[/quote]

You can do whatever is most convenient for your situation, including a mixture of both. It is recommended that even if unused, a neutral connection is available in the switch back-box, for possible future expansion, so that suggests doing all the joints in the back-boxes. However, set against that is that space for dominos etc. is limited in the back-box, so you're probably going to be forced to have at least some distribution boxes. If you use the ceiling roses with DCL plugs and back-boxes, then you could put the joints in there.

[quote user="martin"]

4. As the first floor is not being converted til a later date, would it be ok to just fit a small consumer unit up there for ease of wiring when the time comes??

[/quote]

Yes, that's perfectly OK from a technical point of view. You need to allow a 20% reserve of power in the secondary unit. Feed it from a, say, 32A circuit breaker in the "tableau principal", via 6mm cable (max length 19m), and then distribute it with lesser circuit breakers in the "tableau divisionnaire". Oh, and don't put it in the bathroom, in a cupboard or above/below anything watery or heatery. [:P]

I'm not sure whether consuel will want to re-inspect the upstairs when it is done. I suspect he will. I don't think he'll insist on the whole job being complete before inspection, but you'll need to ask the question.

Hope that helps

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Nick Trollope Newbie

Nick Trollope

Posted
Posted

Not wishing to be contradictory, but;

The GTL does not have to be 600mm wide, it can be as wide as the gulottes you buy in the shops... It can be made of anything (sensible, I presume..). It must be floor to ceiling. A GTL is actually a much more ephemoral thing - it is mearly a space reserved exclusively for electrical (and comms).

For CONSUEL, I wouldn't advise the fitting of a second consumer unit. Just put a bit of 25mm gaine between the GTL and the "attic". Do it later. Once you have your CONSUEL, they won't want to (can't) come back an reinspect. However, if it is obvious that the 1st floor isn't a grenier, he may fail you for an incomplete installation. Then again, if this is a renovation (as opposed to a new build), it is accepted that work is done in stages.

I (as an electrician in France) would always use junction boxes (of the correct type) for lighting. Far more adaptable/easier/quicker - only one 16mm gaine to a single switch, as opposed to two, etc etc. As Tony says however, you can do it either way.

 

 

 

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tonyv Newbie

tonyv

Posted
Posted
[quote user="Nick Trollope"]

Not wishing to be contradictory, but;

The GTL does not have to be 600mm wide,

[/quote]

OK, I bow to superior knowlege.[geek]

My reference was the DIY electrician's bible "L'installation Elecrtique" (p182 FWIW), so I'd still be inclined to play safe.[6]

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Nick Trollope Newbie

Nick Trollope

Posted
Posted

[quote user="tonyv"]Nick, I don't wish to be contrary either, but if you have a look here, about half-way down the page, under Dimensions de la Gaine Technique Logement, you will see that the minimum width is quoted as 600mm for a logement > 35m².
[/quote]

I must have had a dozen CONSUELs passed with a simple 250mm Rehau Gulotte screwed to the wall - As I say above the GTL is not a physical thing it is a "space" defined for the use of electrical (and comms) circuits exclusively.

 

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oldgit72 Newbie

oldgit72

Posted
Posted
[quote user="tonyv"][quote user="Nick Trollope"]

Not wishing to be contradictory, but;

The GTL does not have to be 600mm wide,

[/quote]

OK, I bow to superior knowlege.[geek]

My reference was the DIY electrician's bible "L'installation Elecrtique" (p182 FWIW), so I'd still be inclined to play safe.[6]
[/quote]

 

Tony,

 

Where can I obtain said publication?

 

 

Thanks

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  • 3 weeks later...
BIG MAC Newbie

BIG MAC

Posted
Posted

Probably a question that has been asked a thousand times so apologies but here goes for 1001!

If I have a viable supply (Which I do) but ropey wiring (Which I do for now, I swear French electricity gets there despite the wiring not because of it!)

I am looking to put in a new tableau and run in new wiring to lighting power and heating circulator etc. Is this regarded as completely new and needing a Consuel inspection?

What is the defining line between maintenance and installation, is it the replacement of infrastructure cabling

Can containment for light switches be run in 16mm tube within the wall and up to a through box in the void between floors thereby neccesitating the lifting of a floor board to get to it or does this not comply with the accessible at change of direction ruling?

Just trying to figure where to run containment at the mo.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
Nick Trollope Newbie

Nick Trollope

Posted
Posted

[quote user="martin"]One more question........Do the Consuel check every single light fitting with their 25kg weight or just a few??[/quote]

I have never known an inspector check the weight capabilities of a DCL - can only be done destructively! If you are worried, borrow an 8 year old and hang him/her on the fitting. I have one if you are short....

 

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